by Hayley Charlesworth
With just an episode to go before the mid-season finale, the true horrors of Mount Weather are revealed, while Clarke discovers the ultimate bargaining chip in making peace with the Grounders and rescuing Jasper and co. In a show that has not let up in terms of tension and intrigue, The 100 enters into its finale in spectacular, sometimes disturbing fashion.
With just an episode to go before the mid-season finale, the true horrors of Mount Weather are revealed, while Clarke discovers the ultimate bargaining chip in making peace with the Grounders and rescuing Jasper and co. In a show that has not let up in terms of tension and intrigue, The 100 enters into its finale in spectacular, sometimes disturbing fashion.
The episode opens with a girl from Mount Weather being left to die thanks to radiation poisoning in the name of research, as the blood donations from the 47 trapped in Mount Weather only provide its pale citizens temporary reprieve from the outside atmosphere. This cold-hearted move is just the start of a three-sided battle within Mount Weather: first, there is Jasper, Monty and friends, finally spurred into action by the possibility that Clarke may not be coming to rescue them. Then, there is the increasingly horrific behaviour of both the doctor and the President’s son, who plot to kill the 47 in slow, painful ways to extract their bone marrow. The scene in which this happens to their first unfortunate victim is perhaps the most traumatising moment of the whole show, even more so than Raven’s anaesthetic-free surgery or the aborted hangings of Murphy and Bellamy. The 100 pulls no punches when it comes to gore and horror, and this was the finest example yet. But the third part of the battle comes, unexpectedly, from the President himself. With his pale, gaunt face and creepy intonation, one would assume that this would be the show’s greatest villain yet. But as with Kane before him, The 100 pulls the rug out from under the viewer and reveals that this man has some morals.
Outside, tensions are similarly high. Following the revelation that Mount Weather were creating the Reapers, Clarke discovers that Lincoln can be cured so long as they keep him alive enough for the drug to leave his system. Clarke uses this discovery to bargain for peace with the Grounders, which they get on one condition: Finn must be executed. This is the one area where the show falls down. Clarke has been a strong leader who must make the tough choices throughout the show, but at the prospect of Finn’s death, she falters. This is despite the fact that Finn’s massacre of the Grounders was unjustified and horrific, and that the show, unlike with other characters, has done little to earn Finn’s redemption. Plus, there is the fact that the characters share very little chemistry, unlike Clarke and Bellamy. While Clarke’s decision remains to be seen, this cliffhanger is not quite as heart-stopping as others have been.
Finally, there is a power struggle occurring in the camp that is very interesting indeed. Faced with the decision to follow Clarke’s plan or evacuate, Jaha and acting Chancellor Abby are at loggerheads, but the guards choose the unelected Abby over the democratic Jaha. The strange thing about this is, Abby is not a leader. While Jaha and Kane led according to their own choices, Abby leads according to her daughter. Does this make Clarke the ultimate authority amongst the “skypeople”? Perhaps not officially, but in terms of action, Clarke has been their leader all along.
Finally, there is a power struggle occurring in the camp that is very interesting indeed. Faced with the decision to follow Clarke’s plan or evacuate, Jaha and acting Chancellor Abby are at loggerheads, but the guards choose the unelected Abby over the democratic Jaha. The strange thing about this is, Abby is not a leader. While Jaha and Kane led according to their own choices, Abby leads according to her daughter. Does this make Clarke the ultimate authority amongst the “skypeople”? Perhaps not officially, but in terms of action, Clarke has been their leader all along.
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